A Current List of the Names of Asian Countries
Asia is made up of 48 countries that are all members of the United Nations. A further 12 Asian countries are not members of the United Nations, six of which are dependent territories.
An Overview of Asia Asia is the largest continent in the world, both in terms of area and population. Asia accounts for about 30 percent of Earth’s total land area, or 19,189,277 square miles. Its population was an estimated 4.4 billion in 2016. The highest point on Earth is Mount Everest, which peaks at 29,028 feet. The largest lake in Asia is the Caspian Sea, which has a surface area of 143,250 square miles. The longest Asian river is the Yangtze, which has a length of 3,964 miles. The most common languages spoken in Asia are Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese and Korean. Other languages are also used, such as Malay, Russian, Thai and Vietnamese.
Countries of Asia Asia is home to 48 countries that are members of the United Nations. The names of these Asian countries listed in alphabetical order are Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea North, Korea South, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Yemen.
China has the largest population, with an estimated 1,409,517,397 inhabitants as of 2017. Similarly, Brunei has the smallest population, with an estimated 428,697 people living there as of 2017. The names of some of the major Asian capital cities include Beijing, Bangkok, Tokyo, Ankara, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur and Jerusalem.
Non-Member United Nations Asian Countries There are six countries that are not members of the United Nations; however, they hold various levels of recognition in Asia. The names of these Asian countries are Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Northern Cyprus, Palestine, South Ossetia and Taiwan. Abkhazia is a mountainous country that is located on the Eastern coast of the Black Sea, and it shares its border with Georgia, Russia and North Caucasus. Nagorno-Karabakh is another mountainous region that lies within Azerbaijan. Northern Cyprus is located in the northeastern part of the island of Cyprus. The Palestine region is located in the eastern Mediterranean region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. South Ossetia is located northeast of Georgia, which it is officially a part of. Taiwan does not share land borders with any country, but lies to the north of the Philippines and east of the South China Sea.
Dependent Territories A dependent territory is a country or region that does not have full power over its own political situation and is answerable to another. The following six names of Asian countries are dependent territories. They include Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which is located in Cyprus; British Indian Ocean Territory or Chagos Islands, which is located in the Indian Ocean; and Christmas Island, which is also situated in the Indian Ocean. Cocos Islands lie within the Indian Ocean, and both Hong Kong and Macau are found on the south coast of the People’s Republic of China.
